Position Summary
The Development Director leads and manages WRA’s fundraising activities to secure significant financial resources from individuals, foundations, and corporations. The Director creates the vision for the Development department, identifies key strategies, develops and undertakes a plan of action, and evaluates and adjusts as needed to deliver targeted outcomes. Development functions include annual giving, principal and major gifts, planned giving, prospecting, and foundation relations and grants. The Director works closely with the Executive Vice President and the President on principal gifts to secure increased philanthropic revenue to support strategic initiatives in alignment with the organization’s strategic plan. The Development Director is accountable for an annual fundraising goal in the range of $15 million. The Director contributes to strategic and annual plans, effectively allocates resources, drives outcome-oriented collaboration and the evolution of the development team and its functions. To do this, the Director leads, manages, and works closely with a growing team of eight development staff, four of which are direct reports, to set and meet specific objectives and financial goals. The Development Director is also responsible for a portfolio of prospects and donors. The size of the portfolio, and associated individual fundraising goals, is determined with consideration of the leadership and supervisory responsibilities of this position.
About Western Resource Advocates
WRA fights climate change and its impacts to sustain the environment, economy, and people of the West. We respect the different needs of diverse people and partner with them to develop a shared vision for progress—one that advances communities while protecting biodiversity.
Our team of policy experts, scientists, economists, and attorneys has a 30-year history of working where decisions are made, sweating the details, creating evidence-based solutions, and holding decision makers accountable. This on-the- ground-work with policymakers and other advocates advances clean energy, protects air, land, water, and wildlife—and sustains the lives and livelihoods of the West.
Responsibilities
LEADERSHIP
- Work with the President and Executive Vice President to shape and achieve the fundraising growth necessary to meet the objectives of the organization’s strategic plan and secure principal gifts for its implementation.
- Drive the evolution and growth of a comprehensive development program, leading core functions to secure increased financial resources consistent with WRA’s needs and goals.
- Work with and support the work of the Board of Directors, including the Development Committee of the board.
- Serve as a critical member of the Senior Leadership Team to guide and implement organizational culture, systems, and processes.
- Work closely with the Finance Team to set and meet annual fundraising revenue goals, including projecting, reporting, and managing philanthropic revenue for the annual budget as well as for special projects and grants.
- Work closely with the Marketing and Communications Director to engage and communicate with a constituency of donors and prospects and promote a culture of philanthropy across the organization.
- Ensure that philanthropic commitments, policies and procedures, financial standards and budgets, and legal requirements are managed and met.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
- Integrate and support the fundraising activities of the Executive Vice President and the President.
- Manage a growing team of eight development staff to set and meet goals, execute work plans, and achieve performance expectations.
- Provide guidance and decision-making that builds clarity and consensus around goals, informs the growth and management of the department and development staff, and establishes and monitors benchmarks and measures of success.
- Develop and implement systems, functions, work plans, projects, and metrics consistent with goals and best practices for philanthropy.
- Ensure that philanthropic commitments, policies and procedures, financial standards, and legal requirements are managed and met.
- Design and direct complex and diversified projects and ensure quality project management.
DONOR RELATIONS
- Manage WRA’s full development program to engage, solicit and cultivate all types of donors, including principal and major gifts, annual giving, grants and foundations, and corporate sponsorships.
- Grow WRA’s donor base, design strategies for meaningful prospects and donor engagement, and build infrastructure to identify and cultivate large individual and foundation donors.
- Manage a portfolio of major gift donors/prospects and associated revenue goals.
Supervisory Responsibilities
- Provide direction, guidance, professional development, and support to ensure the development department and individual staff are highly functioning and impactful.
- Recruit, interview, hire, onboard, and train new staff.
- Oversees the daily workflow of the department and manage staffing of key functions, including through vacations, sabbaticals, and parental leave as needed.
- Provide constructive feedback and timely performance evaluations.
- Handle discipline and termination of employees in accordance with organizational policy.
Qualifications and Competencies
Any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience, that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of this position, will be considered. For example, the requisite experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities would include:
- Experience managing multiple staff and multiple projects with deadline pressures.
- History of progressively responsible experience in leading a team to drive fundraising results and meet financial goals.
- Effective management skills, marked by the ability to motivate, develop, lead, and manage the performance of a multi-disciplinary team.
- Experience conceiving and implementing a wide range of core departmental functions, with strong project management skills and the capacity to use data analytics and analysis to set strategy, execute plans, and deliver financial outcomes.
- Experience working with and supporting Executive leaders in fundraising activities.
- Proven success in asking for and closing gifts and building and maintaining long-term relationships with individuals and foundations.
- Exceptional written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate with varied audiences articulately, persuasively, and effectively.
- Understanding of best practices of fundraising and non-profit management, and knowledge of current and evolving trends in philanthropy, including major gifts, planned giving, and fundraising campaigns.
- Experience working across departments/teams to engage, solicit, and steward donors.
- Outstanding interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence.
- Experience using technology and applications such as Teams, Asana, Microsoft Word, Excel, Raiser’s Edge, etc.
Location
This position may work remotely in our seven-state region, in one of our six offices, or a hybrid of the two. Our seven-state region includes Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. WRA has offices located in Boulder, CO; Carson City, NV; Denver, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Salt Lake City, UT; and Santa Fe, NM. Access to a major airport required, as travel (25% or more depending on location) is required.
Salary And Benefits
The salary range is
$138,805 to $163,300 annually; salary depends on relevant experience. WRA’s excellent benefits package includes a 401(k) retirement plan with up to 5% matching and health, dental, vision, and life & disability insurance with 100% of premiums paid by WRA. Annually, staff receive seventeen days paid vacation, twelve paid sick days, one paid volunteer day, and twelve paid holidays, and WRA is closed for Winter Break between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day for additional paid time off. Employees are eligible for up to twelve weeks of parental leave, and after five years, staff are eligible for up to twelve weeks of paid sabbatical leave. Position is full-time exempt.
Deadline To Apply: Open Until Filled with priority review beginning on Monday, April 14, 2025.
Diversity and inclusion are a critical component of our business strategy, mission and vision. We welcome candidates from an array of backgrounds and experiences to join our team. Learn more about our commitment here: https://westernresourceadvocates.org/diversity-equity-inclusion/
Western Resource Advocates is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, marital status, amnesty, or veteran status.
Apply To Be WRA’s Development Director!
Thank you for your interest in the Development Director position with Western Resource Advocates. You will need to upload the following in PDF format:
- Cover letter to the attention of Kimberly Bell, Human Resources Manager, describing your relevant qualifications and the reason for your interest in this position; and
- Resume.
Please direct any questions about this position or application process to
hiring@westernresources.org.
